Introduction

Badges are a new feature in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. They are awarded when your character accomplishes certain achievements, like collecting fish or bugs,
planting flower bags and saplings, pulling weeds, etc. When you've earned at least one badge, Phineas will appear in your town. Phineas is a sea lion in a scout's
uniform. He may seem hard to miss because he's rather large, but he has a way of standing behind objects which can make him hard to find. Use your megaphone when you
expect him to be present but can't seem to find him. Talking to Phineas will reward you with the badge(s) you've earned. Don't forget to keep on talking to him until
you've received all the badges he owes you! Once he's given you all the badges, he'll start repeating himself.

Phineas doesn't show up on days with precipitation. There may be clouds and it may even be heavily overcast, but as long as it doesn't actually rain or snow that day
he will show up when you've earned a badge. When it is overcast, it may be difficult to assess whether he can possibly appear that day because it can rain at a time
when you're not playing. To resolve this, you might consider having another player in your town who has earned a badge but hasn't talked to Phineas about it yet. You can
play with that side player and if Phineas is there for them, you'll know it's a day he could appear for you as well. When you subsequently play with your main character and
Phineas isn't there, you can be sure that they haven't earned any badges yet.

There are some more circumstances where Phineas won't show up even if you've earned a badge. If Katie the travelling cat is in your town, Phineas won't show up until you've
escorted her to another town or she leaves. On Sunday mornings, he won't appear while Joan is selling turnips in your town, but he'll appear that afternoon after she
leaves. Phineas is not kept away by other characters frequenting your town, like Saharah, Gulliver, Redd or campers. He can also appear during events like the Fishing
Tourney, the Bug off and Bunny Day. Finally, Phineas will not appear if your gates are open and/or you're having a friend visit.

There are a couple of ways you may find out that Phineas is in town. When you talk to Booker or Copper at the police station, they may mention Phineas is in your town.
However, if there's a camper or another regular visitor, it may take multiple attempts for them to mention him. Your villagers may also mention that Phineas is around.

Phineas awards badges in three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. There are 24 different achievements, so altogether that makes 72 badges. The badges you've earned
can be accessed in your Town Pass Card (TPC). This card is validated by getting your picture taken in the photo booth on Main Street. This card is also needed if you want
to travel, so if you don't have it validated yet, you better go and do this for 500 Bells. The TPC can be viewed by pressing the person icon at the top of the bottom
screen and then selecting the TPC tab. The TPC shows some personal info like your birthday and your Dream Address, if available. If you have received at least one badge, it will also show a scout
icon below your picture. Pressing this scout icon will reveal all the badges you've received. See the lists below to find out how to acquire all of these badges!